SC-stung Govt readies notices for squatters

Rattled by the recent Supreme Court order to evacuate unauthorised occupants of government houses, the State Government has prepared a list of 400 such people. They include politicians, bureaucrats, social activists and journalists, according to official sources.

Rattled by the recent Supreme Court order to evacuate unauthorised occupants of government houses, the State Government has prepared a list of 400 such people. They include politicians, bureaucrats, social activists and journalists, according to official sources.

They will be served eviction notices soon as the government has been asked to give an action-taken report on October 31 to the apex court.

Those likely to be served eviction notices include 157 government servants, 69 social/political organisations and 154 journalists.

The government is also identifying the officers/employees who have not vacated government quarters despite having their own houses. A number of senior bureaucrats fall in this category. The Home Department is busy preparing lists of unauthorised occupants of government houses in different categories. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh on Wednesday held a meeting to assess the situation arising out of the Supreme Court order.

It was suggested in the meeting that the order left the Government with little option, so the aggrieved individuals could approach the apex court with the request for more time to stay in the government quarters. The CM gave similar advice to some journalists, who met him in the morning.

It was decided at the meeting that the bureaucrats, posted elsewhere in the State, should be asked to vacate bungalows in Bhopal, the sources said. When contacted, Principal Secretary, Home, Satyaprakash said the State Government has no option but to abide by the SC order. The Government is preparing its reply to be submitted to the SC before October 31. Senior bureaucrats are adopting a cautious approach in this case in the light of the court’s stern attitude towards West Bengal officials.

The SC had recently summoned West Bengal Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home. The Government is also mulling over charging market rates to senior bureaucrats, including IAS and IPS officers, who own personal houses in Bhopal but are living in government houses.

The Home department has also decided in principle to take departmental action against those officers and employees not paying monthly rent of the government houses allotted to them under rule 45 “B” despite possessing their own houses. As per rules, all government officers have to take government permission for purchase or construction of their personal property.

After approvals from the department, these government employees are allowed to purchase or construct property. The parent department retains the record of these permissions.

More than 1500 such officers, including IAS, IPS, IFS and others, were identified by the Home department a couple of years ago but no action has been taken against them, the sources said.